1939 Ford Pickup - Project Nastruck

The NASCAR circuit has many avid fans around the country. One passionate pair of race fans is Susan and Randy Jackson of Commerce City, Colorado. The Jacksons are the proud owners of this Real Red '39 Ford pickup, purchased from the Wyoming Forest Service in 1992. Over the next decade, the Jacksons struggled to complete their street rod pickup, but were delayed by the usual responsibilities of earning a living and raising a family. When they met Russ Tilkes of Just Dream'N (Full Service Rod & Custom) in 2002, the project picked up speed and was finished three activity-filled years later.

CCT gave readers a preview of the Jacksons' '39 Ford pickup in the July '05 issue, when the Just Dream'N crew (Golden, Colorado) installed the big oval '04 Mini Cooper projector-beam headlights that were grafted into the round front fenders of the Ford. The crew also sectioned the grille several inches to make room for a functional air dam below the grille and fenders.

The '39 Ford grille is quite often less appreciated than the '40-41 design, which has a greater relationship to the passenger-car grille. As a result, the Jacksons and Russ Tilkes themed the project pickup as Fast & Ugly. From that point, the idea of a vintage NASCAR truck was born, and the name NASTRUCK stuck. Steve Haugen of Victory Illustration rendered the red truck (July '05, page 80) as a vintage race truck.

The small shop in Colorado pulled out all the fabrication skills they possessed to create a vintage truck capable of 150 mile-per-hour speeds-and not just capable, but safe as well. The solid chassis foundation is a 2x4-inch rectangular tubing frame from Art Morrison. It was originally a '40 Ford passenger car chassis that the Just Dream'N crew then altered to fit the truck by cutting and modifying the front and rear framerails. Cab and bed mounts were built to accommodate the variations in design.

To some viewers, the little red pickup has the cute face of a Disney character, and it has made plenty of friends this summer as it has roared out of the garage and started to become a public personality. We expect the NASTRUCK to continue to make more friends and gather plenty of awards at events all over the country. However, anyone who thinks this truck is all cute stuff and no performance skill is bound to be surprised at how well it kicks butt on the asphalt, in a straight line or in circles. Patience has its reward, Susan and Randy. Congratulations for making your dream come true at Just Dream'N.